For the Media

CUMC Celebrates 2016-2017, Issue 1

CUMC CELEBRATES acknowledges faculty, staff, and students at Columbia University Medical Center who receive major research grants, who earn prestigious honors, who are elected to honorary societies, or who take leadership positions in professional organizations. Celebrates also gratefully acknowledges the gifts made by donors and friends of the Medical Center and highlights faculty who have appeared in the news recently. If you have an award or honor that you would like to have listed in Celebrates, please fill out this online form. Please note: All federal grants are automatically included based on institutional data provided by Sponsored Projects Administration. For more information, send an e-mail to the Celebrates editor. Click on the image at right to print this issue.Research Grants / Awards & Honors / Philanthropic Gifts / CUMC in the News

RESEARCH GRANTS

COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS & SURGEONS

Ivan Balan, PhD, Psychiatry, received $2,360,618 over four years from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development for “Use of Novel Mobile Technology to Screen Sexual Partners for HIV and STIs.”

Jahar Bhattacharya, MD, DPhil, Medicine, received $1,593,902 over five years from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute for “Columbia University Training Program in Lung Science” in a competitive renewal.

Marian Carlson, PhD, Genetics & Development, received $513,188 over one year from the Simons Foundation for “Employee Support Agreement.”

Angela Christiano, PhD, Dermatology, received $262,500 over one year from the EB Research Partnership for “Engineering Skin Grafts for Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa Patients Using Gene-Corrected iPSC-Derived Cells.”

Emily DiMango, MD, Medicine, received $500,000 over five years from the American Lung Association for “ACRC New York Consortium.”

Nataki Douglas, MD, PhD, Obstetrics & Gynecology, received $2,000,000 over five years from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute for “Role of Angiogenic Notch in Uterine Decidualization and Placentation.”

Mitchell Elkind, MD, Neurology, received $558,926 over two years from the New York State Department of Health for “Triage and Outpatient Evaluation of Patients with TIA and Minor Stroke: The Rapid Access Vascular Evaluation-Neurology (RAVEN) Approach.”

Joachim Frank, PhD, Biochemistry & Molecular Biophysics, received $2,032,529 over four years from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences for “Structural Analysis of Macromolecular Assemblies” in a competitive renewal.

Joji Fujisaki, MD, PhD, Medicine, received $2,000,000 over five years from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute for “Immune Privilege of the Hematopoietic Stem Cell Niche.”

George Gallos, MD, Anesthesiology, received $1,627,634 over five years from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development for “Calcium-Activated Chloride Channel Modulation of Myometrial Excitability.”

Ragy Girgis, MD, Psychiatry, received $495,000 over three years from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation for “Dopamine Transmission in the Psychosis Prodrome: A [11C]-(+)-PHNO PET Study.”

Jacqueline Gottlieb, PhD, Neuroscience, received $360,000 over three years from the Human Frontier Science Program for “Understanding Curiosity: A Combined Behavioral, Biological, and Computational Theory.”

Eric Greene, PhD, Biochemistry & Molecular Biophysics, received $2,469,834 over five years from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences for “Mechanisms of Genome Integrity.”

Mark Hardy, MD, Surgery, and Steven Marx, MD, Medicine, received $3,488,041 over five years from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute for “Postdoctoral Training in Cardiovascular Disease” in a competitive renewal.

Ali Jabbari, MD, PhD, Dermatology, received $854,280 over five years from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases for “Defining T Helper Cell-Associated Cytokines and Mechanisms in Alopecia Areata.”

Jonathan Javitch, MD, PhD, Psychiatry, received $1,961,081 over five years from the National Institute on Drug Abuse for “Delineating the Genetic Basis of Amphetamine Sensitivity Using a Drosophila Behavioral Model.” He also received $994,161 over two years from the Hope for Depression Research Foundation for “Molecular Mechanisms Underlying the Antidepressant Actions of Tianeptine and Its Analogs.”

Christoph Kellendonk, PhD, Psychiatry, received $2,664,040 over five years from the National Institute of Mental Health for “Functionally Selective D2Rs, Striatal Circuit Function and Motivation.”

Louise Kuhn, PhD, Sergievsky Center, received $343,646 over four years from the Penta Foundation for “Early Treated Perinatally HIV-Infected Individuals: Improving Children’s Actual Life (EPIICAL).”

Rudolph Leibel, MD, Naomi Berrie Diabetes Center, received $6,051,538 over five years from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases for “New York Nutrition Obesity Research Center” in a competitive renewal. He also received $955,510 over five years from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute for “Short-Term Training Grant” in a competitive renewal.

Ellen Lumpkin, PhD, Dermatology, received $2,778,786 over five years from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases for “Mechanisms of Mechanosensory Transduction in Merkel Cells” in a competitive renewal.

Jose Luchsinger, MD, Medicine, received $904,475 over five years from the National Institute on Aging for “Midcareer Award for Research in Dementia Risk Factors and Prevention.”

Olena Mamykina, PhD, Biomedical Informatics, received $720,600 over three years from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation for “Promoting Improved Diabetes Self-Management and Care With Continuous Self-Monitoring and Novel Data Science Methods.”

Richard Mann, PhD, Biochemistry & Molecular Biophysics, received $2,858,926 over five years from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences for “Interpreting and Deploying Genomic Information During Animal Development.”

Andrew Marks, MD, Physiology & Cellular Biophysics, received $1,545,600 over five years from the National Cancer Institute for “(PQ#9) Targeting Leaky Ryanodine Receptor (RyR2) to Treat and Prevent Chemotherapy-Associated Cognitive Dysfunction in Patients With Breast Cancer.” He also received $720,825 over two years from CHDI Foundation for “Exploring the Role of Ryanodine Receptors in Huntington’s Disease Pathophysiology.”

Andrew Moran, MD, Medicine, received $1,211,577 over three years from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute for “Potential Future Benefits of Cardiovascular Risk Factor Control in Today’s Young Adults” in a competitive renewal.

Max O’Donnell, MD, Medicine, received $2,688,420 over five years from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for “Promoting Engagement in the Drug Resistant TB/HIV Care Continuation in South Africa.”

Maria Oquendo, MD, and Barbara Stanley, PhD, Psychiatry, received $2,851,058 over five years from the National Institute of Mental Health for “Neurobiological Underpinnings of Two Suicidal Subtypes.”

Xavier Pi-Sunyer, MD, Medicine, received $1,714,857 over five years from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases for “09/16 Action for Health in Diabetes Extension Study Research Project” in a competitive renewal.

Matthias Quick, PhD, Psychiatry, received $2,032,648 over five years from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences for “Molecular Mechanism of Nucleobase/Vitamin C Transporters.”

Michael Rosenbaum, MD, Naomi Berrie Diabetes Center, received $838,389 over two years from the New York State Department of Health for “The Columbia Center for Pediatric Obesity Care and Research.”

Nathaniel Sawtell, PhD, Neuroscience, received $1,700,000 over five years from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders for “Mechanisms for Cancelling Self-Generated Sounds in the Mouse Dorsal Cochlear Nucleus.”

Robert Schwabe, MD, Medicine, received $2,233,806 over five years from the National Cancer Institute for “HMGB1 as Link Between Hepatocellular Injury and HCC.”

Gary Schwartz, MD, Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, received $900,000 over three years from the Melanoma Research Alliance for “Inhibition of BET Bromodomain Proteins as a Novel Therapeutic Approach.”

Elizabeth Shane, MD, Medicine, received $1,640,608 over four years from the Food & Drug Administration for “Phase 2b Study of Denosumab to Prevent Bone Loss in Idiopathic Osteoporosis in Premenopausal Women Treated with Teriparatide.”

Benjamin Smith, MD, Medicine, received $3,662,645 over five years from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute for “Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease in Non-Smokers.”

Thomas Smith, MD, Psychiatry, received $1,706,756 over four years from the National Institute of Mental Health for “Hospital Discharge Planning and Transition to Outpatient Psychiatric Care.”

Hans-Willem Snoeck, MD, PhD, Medicine, received $542,362 over two years from Northern Biologics Inc. for “SRA Northern Biologics.”

Annika Sweetland, DrPH, Psychiatry, received $727,768 over four years from the National Institute of Mental Health for “Integrating Evidence-Based MDD Treatment in Primary Care: TB in Brazil as a Model.”

Stephen Tsang, MD, PhD, Ophthalmology, received $731,716 over four years from the National Eye Institute for “Mechanistic Studies on Regenerative Medicine Approaches to Childhood Blindness.”

Benjamin Tycko, MD, PhD, Institute for Cancer Genetics, received $332,185 over one year from Merck & Co. Inc. for “Pre-Clinical Testing for Synergy of DNA Hypomethylation + Anti-PD1 Against PDAC.”

Hynek Wichterle, PhD, Pathology & Cell Biology, received $345,000 over three years from Project ALS for “Selective Vulnerability of Motor Neurons in ALS – Phase II.”

Chaolin Zhang, PhD, Systems Biology, received $437,997 over two years from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke for “Systematic Functional Dissection of Neuronal Transcriptome Diversity.”

MAILMAN SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH

Ying Kuen Cheung, PhD, Biostatistics, received $1,600,641 over four years from the National Institute of Mental Health for “Novel Methods for Evaluation and Implementation of Behavioral Intervention Technologies for Depression.”

Iuliana Ionita-Laza, PhD, Biostatistics, and Bin Xu, PhD, Psychiatry, received $1,217,159 over three years from the National Institute of Mental Health for “Integrative Methods for the Identification of Causal Variants in Mental Disorder.”

Katherine Keyes, PhD, Epidemiology, received $440,000 over two years from the National Institute on Drug Abuse for “Substance Abuse History, Mental Health, and Firearm Violence: From Evidence to Action.”

Frederica Perera, PhD, Environmental Health Sciences, Virginia Rauh, ScD, Population & Family Health, and Andrew Rundle, DrPH, Epidemiology, received $2,552,707 over four years from the Environmental Protection Agency for “The Columbia Center for Children’s Environmental Health.”

Lindsay Stark, DrPH, Population & Family Health, received $276,978 over two years from the U.S. Agency for International Development for “Transforming Households: Reducing Incidence of Violence in Emergencies (THRIVE).”

Ying Wei, PhD, Biostatistics, received $1,600,000 over four years from the National Human Genome Research Institute for “Develop Quantile Analysis Tools for Sequencing and eQTL Studies.”

COLLEGE OF DENTAL MEDICINE

Jeremy Mao, DDS, PhD, Center for Craniofacial Regeneration, received $3,584,986 over five years from the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering for “Continuous Root Formation in Developing Teeth by Molecular Cues.”

AWARDS & HONORS

CUMC

Presidential Awards for Excellence in Teaching

Presidential Awards for Excellence in Teaching are awarded to current Columbia faculty who have had a significant influence on the intellectual development of students at the University. These awards recognize teaching excellence at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Two CUMC faculty received this award in 2016:

Rita A.M. Charon, MD, PhD, Medicine

Martina Pavlicova, PhD, Biostatistics

Provost’s Grants Program for Junior Faculty Who Contribute to the Diversity Goals of the University

Five CUMC faculty members had projects funded in the spring 2016 cycle of the program:

President’s Global Innovation Fund

Six CUMC faculty members received grants in the fourth round of awards from the President’s Global Innovation Fund. The program supports Columbia faculty who are developing projects that increase opportunities for research, teaching, and service around the world.

Elaine Abrams, MD, Pediatrics, “Adolescents Living with HIV: Engaging and Empowering Through Photography”

Gina Lovasi, PhD, and Jeanine Genkinger, PhD, Epidemiology, “Building Cross-Sector Networks and Transdisciplinary Research to Promote Urban Health: A Partnership Spanning Columbia University’s Global Center, Brazil, and the Mailman School of Public Health”

Faculty Research Fellowships in Aging Research

Five CUMC faculty members were among the second cohort awarded research fellowships by the Robert N. Butler Columbia Aging Center. The program enables interdisciplinary study of the aging process, including how to improve human aging and how to optimize additional years of life.

Pamela Freda, MD, Medicine, “Development of a Personalized Approach to the Evaluation and Treatment of Acromegaly: Integration of Genomic, Histopathologic, and Radiographic Data With a Large, Existing Prospective Clinical Outcomes Dataset”

Precision Medicine Fellowships

Two 2016 Irving Institute Precision Medicine Fellowships were awarded to train the next generation of leaders in the development and application of precision medicine science and methods to improve public health.

Other Honors

Lucky Tran, PhD, and Brian Winkowski, MA, CUMC Communications, received an Award for Excellence in Electronic Communications for their video “Can Your Birth Month Predict Disease Risk?” from the Association of American Medical Colleges Group on Institutional Advancement.

Stevens Triennial Prize (for meritorious original medical research)

Distinguished Teacher Award (chosen by the class of 2016)

Interdisciplinary Research Initiatives Seed (IRIS) Fund Program

The IRIS program advances interdisciplinary, multi-investigator projects and supports the collection of preliminary data. Two awardees received 2016 IRIS funds:

Daniel C. Javitt, MD, PhD, Psychiatry

Raul Rabadan, PhD, Biomedical Informatics

Irene & Arthur Fishberg Prize

The Irene & Arthur Fishberg Prize honors P&S faculty who have made significant original contributions to internal medicine. Two awardees received the 2016 prize:

Domenico Accili, MD, Medicine

Timothy C. Wang, MD, Medicine

Louis V. Gerstner Jr. Junior Scholars Program

The Louis V. Gerstner Jr. Junior Scholars Program supports physicians who are on tenure track and conduct research that has the promise of ultimately bringing new treatments to patients. Four scholars were named this year, and one current scholar received a merit award for exhibiting great research potential.

Gerstner Merit Award

Other Honors

Rishi Agrawal, PhD candidate, Institute of Human Nutrition, was selected for the three-year National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship by the U.S. Department of Defense for “Attenuating Mitochondrial Pathologies After Traumatic Brain Injury with Omega-3 Fatty Acids.”

Emile Bacha, MD, Surgery, was elected to the executive council of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery. He also received a Teacher of the Year award from the Division of Pediatric Cardiology.

LaMont Barlow, MD, Urology, was selected to receive the New York Academy of Medicine’s 2016-2017 Ferdinand C. Valentine Fellowship Award for Research in Urology for “Using Patient-Derived Models to Predict Response to Chemotherapeutic Agents in Human Bladder Cancer.”

Sumeet Banker, MD, Pediatrics, was voted Attending of the Year by the pediatrics residents.

Richard Berkowitz, MD, Obstetrics & Gynecology, was the first individual to be featured in “Giants in Obstetrics and Gynecology,” a series published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Neda Bionghi, P&S’19, received a David E. Rogers Student Fellowship Award from the New York Academy of Medicine for “Improving Treatment Outcomes for Extensively Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis Using Next-Generation Antimycobacterial Drugs.”

Craig Blinderman, MD, Medicine, was inducted as a fellow of the Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine in recognition of his commitment to the field.

Manuela Buonanno, PhD, Center for Radiological Research, received the Jack Fowler Award from the Radiation Research Society and University of Wisconsin, an award that recognizes a junior investigator for exceptional work in radiobiology.

Rachel Campbell Hooper, MD, Surgery, was runner-up for the Blakemore Prize for best body of research during the general surgery training program in clinical and basic research. She focused on innovative microchannel studies of vascular and tissue replacement, including arteriovenous vascular anastomoses in rats.

Anna K. Costakis, MD, Psychiatry, is president-elect of the New York County Psychiatric Society, the New York district branch of the American Psychiatric Association, for 2016-17 and will serve as president in 2017-18.

Thomas Diacovo, MD, Pediatrics, was asked by the Department of Medicine at Ohio State to give the Annual Bouroncle Lecture in Hematology. He also recently received the AWRP Winter 2016 Collaborative Sciences Award from the American Heart Association to support work on diagnostic and response biomarkers for neonatal patients at risk for thrombosis.

Jean C. Emond, MD, Surgery, was elected president of the American Society of Transplant Surgeons, with his term beginning in 2017.

Janet Falk-Kessler, EdD, Rehabilitation & Regenerative Medicine, was appointed to the New York State Board of Occupational Therapy for a five-year term.

Cristina Fernandez, MD, Pediatrics, was selected for the National Institute of Minority Health and Health Disparities 2016 Health Disparities Research Institute Program. She also was accepted by the American Academy of Pediatrics into the Young Physicians Leadership Alliance, a national leadership development program for early career physicians.

Jenny Francis, MD, Pediatrics, was elected president of the NY Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine for the 2016-18 terms.

Isaac George, MD, Surgery, received the AATS Graham Foundation Surgical Investigator Program Award. He also was elected a member of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery.

Anne Gershon, MD, Pediatrics, was made an honorary member of the European Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society in May, an honor only a few Americans have received. She will receive the 2016 Award for Lifetime Contribution to Infectious Diseases Education from the American Academy of Pediatrics in October.

Sidney Hankerson, MD, Psychiatry, received a Pioneer Award from New York city and state government officials at the inaugural Reflection of Hope Awards in recognition of his contributions to mental health and developmental disabilities.

David Kalfa, MD, PhD, Surgery, was selected as a board member of the Annals of Cardiology and Cardiovascular Diseases. He also became the youngest full member of the European Congenital Heart Surgeons Association.

Miriam Kwarteng-Siaw, P&S’19, received a David E. Rogers Student Fellowship Award from the New York Academy of Medicine for “Transition Readiness Assessment of Pediatric Patients With Sickle Cell Disease to Adult Care at the Sickle Cell Clinic in Kumasi, Ghana.”

Fatemah Mamdani, MD, Anesthesiology, received the SEA-HVO Traveling Fellowship, which will allow her to teach in Malawi this coming academic year.

Julie Monteagudo, MD, Surgery, was awarded the Poster of Distinction prize in the basic science category by the American Pediatric Surgical Association for “Ex Vivo Comparison of Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Circuits and Cannulae to Evaluate Sources of Hemolysis.”

Maria Oquendo, MD, Psychiatry, was elected president of the American Psychiatric Association for a one-year term.

Franck Polleux, PhD, Neuroscience, received the 2015 Prix Roger de Spoelberch, which recognizes one European scientist each year for pioneering work in the field of neuroscience.

Donald Quest, MD, Neurological Surgery, received the inaugural Medical Student Teaching Award of the Society of Neurological Surgeons at its 2016 meeting.

Dina L. Romo, MD, Pediatrics, won the Rustin McIntosh Fellowship Award, which honors a pediatric fellow who best exemplifies Dr. McIntosh’s “spirit of doubt and need for inquiry.”

Lori Soni, MD, Surgery, won the Blakemore Prize for best body of research during the general surgery training program in clinical and basic research. She focused on atrial fibrillation and clinical research in circulatory assistance and cardiac transplantation.

Karen Soren, MD, Pediatrics, and colleagues in the Society of Adolescent Health and Medicine developed an app that was voted a Gold Winner in the Best App category by PM360 Pharma Choice Awards.

Gail Stephens, OT’16, was selected to participate in the American Occupational Therapy Association’s Emerging Leaders Development Program.

MAILMAN SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH

Guohua Li, MD, DrPH, Epidemiology, gave an invited talk about the opioid epidemic at the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy in Washington, D.C. His presentation focused on the evolution of the epidemic, global trends, major risk factors, and control strategies.

Stephen S. Morse, PhD, Epidemiology, served as a guest editor of a special issue on Superstorm Sandy of Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness, the publication of the Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, published by the American Medical Association. He also was named an associate editor of the journal.

Richard Parker, PhD, Sociomedical Sciences, was invited to join the editorial board of the Journal of the International AIDS Society for a three-year term (2016-19).

James F. Phillips, PhD, Population and Family Health, was appointed as an adviser to the Korean International Cooperation Agency in Ghana. He also has been appointed as a member of the Strategic Advisory Committee for the Ghana Health Service’s CHPS+ initiative and reappointed to the Science Advisory Committee at the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research in Bangladesh.

Ronna Popkin, PhD candidate, Sociomedical Sciences, received the 2015 Martinus Nijhoff Award for the most outstanding project in science, technology, and medicine from the Horowitz Foundation for Social Policy for “Variants of Significance? Constructions and Understandings of Genetic Risk for Cancer.”

John Santelli, MD, Population and Family Health, received the Douglas Kirby award from the Association of Planned Parenthood Leaders in Education for Excellence in Research. The award is given annually to a researcher whose work evaluating interventions has helped improve sexual health, provided new insights that are critical to improving sex education programs, and advanced the field. He also was a lead commissioner on The Lancet Commission’s report, “Our Future: A Lancet Commission on Adolescent Health and Wellbeing.” Dr. Santelli and Terry McGovern, JD, Population and Family Health, were featured panelists at the launch event held in London.

Kavita Sivaramakrishnan, PhD, Sociomedical Sciences, was invited to join the governing board of the Society of Fellows in the Humanities at Columbia University for a three-year appointment beginning this fall.

Ursula Staudinger, PhD, Sociomedical Sciences, was honored by the board of trustees of the Industry Club Düsseldorf with scientific support of the Heinrich Heine University with its international, endowed prize for aging research, the Seneca Medal. The award is in recognition of her research in the social and behavioral sciences of aging.

Pamela Valera, PhD, Sociomedical Sciences, was named to the Advanced Research Institute in Geriatric Mental Health as a 2016 scholar.

SCHOOL OF NURSING

Dawn Dowding, PhD, Nursing Scholarship & Research, was elected a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing and will be inducted this fall in Washington, D.C.

Carolyn Herzig, PhD, Nursing Scholarship & Research, won a Blue Ribbon Abstract award at the Association of Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology’s annual meeting for her research on infection policies in nursing homes.

COLLEGE OF DENTAL MEDICINE

Burton L. Edelstein, DDS, Population Oral Health, will receive the 2016 Marvin Goldstein Public Service Award from Oral Health America in September. The award is given annually to recognize outstanding public service, professional contributions, and leadership, which Dr. Edelstein has demonstrated particularly in fighting for the CHIP guaranteed dental benefit for children in the Affordable Care Act. The Children’s Dental Health Project founded by Burton L. Edelstein, DDS, Population Oral Health, was honored with the 2016 William J. Gies Award for Outstanding Achievement by a Public or Private Partner.

Sidney B. Eisig, DDS, Hospital Dentistry, was given the Visiting Professor Award by the University of Florida College of Dental Medicine, where he was keynote speaker at the chief resident graduation dinner. He also was named one of the top 25 reviewers for the Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery.

Keith Goldman, DDS, Manish Patel, DDS, and E. Patricia Solarte Castro, DDS, Growth & Development, are the 2016 recipients of the Dr. Cangialosi American Board Initial Certification Scholarship in recognition of their achievement in the Mock American Board of Orthodontics Examination.

Alia Koch, DDS, MD, Hospital Dentistry, will be inducted as a fellow of the American College of Surgeons.

Imad Maleeh, DDS, and Victor Chiang, DDS, Growth & Development, are the 2016-17 recipients of the Henry Nahoum DDS’43 Scholarship for Chief Residents in recognition of their notable performance and key leadership during their first two years of the postgraduate orthodontics program.

Panos N. Papapanou, DDS, PhD, Oral, Diagnostic & Rehabilitation Sciences, received the Yngve Ericsson Prize in July. The prize is awarded every three years to acknowledge contributions to oral disease prevention.

Kenneth Siegel, DDS, Oral, Diagnostic, & Rehabilitation Sciences, received the 2016 Educator Award from the American Academy of Periodontology in recognition of outstanding teaching and mentoring in periodontics. He also received the Alan Formicola Award at the postdoctoral graduation in June.

Sunil Wadhwa, DDS, Growth and Development, was a featured scientific lecturer at the 2016 American Association of Orthodontists annual session in Orlando, Fla. He presented “Can Vibration Accelerate Tooth Movement?” He also was elected president of the International Association for Dental Research Craniofacial Biology Group for 2016-17.

PHILANTHROPIC GIFTS

COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS & SURGEONS

A bequest of $3,000,000 was realized to support neuroscience research at the College of Physicians and Surgeons, focusing on diseases of the spine and brain.

A family foundation made a contribution of $2,322,236 toward a $15,000,000 commitment to the Department of Neurology to advance research in chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy.

A donor made a $2,000,000 pledge to the Roy and Diana Vagelos Education Center.

A donor made a $1,200,000 pledge to the Division of Endocrinology to support junior faculty research in osteoporosis.

A family made a $1,000,000 commitment to advance research in the Division of Cardiology.

A family foundation made a contribution of $875,000 toward a $6,000,000 commitment to support the Nurture Science Program at Columbia University Medical Center, to help shed light on complex mother/infant nurture.

A donor made an $850,000 contribution toward a $20,000,000 pledge to the Roy and Diana Vagelos Education Center.

A donor made a contribution of $500,000 toward a $2,500,000 commitment to provide professorship support to the Division of Cardiology.

A foundation made a contribution of $500,000 to complete a $2,000,000 commitment to the Department of Psychiatry to support the Neuroscience Fellows Program.

An organization made a contribution of $500,000 toward a $1,500,000 commitment to advance research and clinical care in nonverbal learning disabilities in the Division of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry.

A family made a $400,000 contribution toward a $2,000,000 pledge to advance lung transplantation and lung tolerance research at the Center for Translational Immunology.

A foundation made a $400,000 commitment to the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology to advance research on lipedema.

A family foundation made a $400,000 pledge to the Department of Psychiatry’s Molecular Imaging and Neuropathology Division to advance translational research in human brain neurogenesis.

A donor made a $333,333 contribution toward a $1,000,000 pledge to the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry to support cognitive-behavioral therapies for children, adolescents, and young adults suffering from anxiety or anxiety-related disorders at the Columbia University Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders.

A family foundation made a contribution of $325,000 to complete a pledge to the Department of Pediatrics to support the IFAP Global Health Program.

A donor made a contribution of $301,214 toward a $500,000 commitment to support integrative therapies in clinical care, research, and education at the Division of Hematology & Oncology.

A $300,000 bequest will advance Parkinson’s disease research at the Department of Neurology.

A donor made a $250,000 commitment to the Roy and Diana Vagelos Education Center.

A donor made a $250,000 pledge to the Division of Geriatric Psychiatry to advance research on healthy aging and late life brain disorders.

A foundation made a contribution of $240,000 to the Department of Ophthalmology to advance

research on ophthalmologic diseases and disorders.

A private foundation made a contribution of $204,400 toward an $811,000 commitment to the Department of Psychiatry to support a fellowship and advance research in domestic violence.

A family made a $200,000 contribution toward a $400,000 pledge to advance clinical care and research in the Division of Cardiology.

A family foundation made a $200,000 pledge to support clinical care at the Naomi Berrie Diabetes Center.

A family foundation made a $200,000 gift to the Department of Ophthalmology to advance research on the genetic and molecular causes of retinal diseases.

A donor made a $200,000 pledge to the Division of Mental Health Services and Policy Research to support the Global Mental Health Program.

A family foundation made a $200,000 commitment to the Department of Neurology to advance research on the cause and care of stroke in children and young adults.

A company made a contribution of $153,174 to the Department of Neurology to advance research on GLUT1 deficiency syndrome.

A $125,000 commitment from a family foundation to the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry will provide cognitive-behavioral therapies for children, adolescents, and young adults suffering from anxiety or anxiety-related disorders at the Columbia University Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders.

A donor made a contribution of $100,137 to advance immunotherapy research at the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center.

A donor made a $100,000 gift to complete a $300,000 pledge to the Department of Neurology to help recruit a senior physician-scientist in MS/neuroimmunology.

A donor made a $100,000 contribution toward a $300,000 pledge to advance research and clinical care in the Department of Urology.

A donor made a gift of $100,000 to support the precision medicine research initiative in the Division of Pediatric Oncology.

A donor made a $100,000 commitment to the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry to advance research on attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.

A foundation made a $100,000 contribution to advance research into the neurodevelopmental origins of mental illness, particularly schizophrenia.

A donor made a $100,000 pledge to advance oncological research and care in the Division of Thoracic Surgery.

A company made a $100,000 contribution to advance research at the Irving Institute for Clinical and Translational Research.

MAILMAN SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH

A donor made a gift of $125,000 to the Dean’s New Ventures Fund.

A foundation made a gift of $125,000 toward faculty support at the Climate and Health program.

SCHOOL OF NURSING

A foundation approved a gift of $300,000 to provide scholarship support for underrepresented students attending Columbia Nursing.

CUMC IN THE NEWS

Wall Street Journal | July 6, 2016

The Obama administration said it is awarding $55 million to hospitals and companies to begin ambitious national research into the genetic makeup of a million or more Americans that is the planned cornerstone of the White House’s “precision-medicine initiative.” NIH has selected four universities … They are Columbia University in New York, in partnership with Weill Cornell Medical College and Harlem Hospital….

New York Times | June 24, 2016

For years, Tasmanian devils and dogs were the only species known to contract contagious cancer. But last year, Stephen P. Goff, a molecular biologist at Columbia University, and his colleagues found contagious cancer in soft-shell clams.

Manhattan Times | June 7, 2016

Dr. Dyan Summers may have just received her doctorate in nursing practice from Columbia University School of Nursing­—but years ago, she was at the forefront of identifying a troubling disease now provoking global alarm.

Mother Jones | May 19, 2016

A team of researchers from Columbia University, Johns Hopkins, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tracked 369 mother-child pairs from the third trimester of pregnancy until the kids turned seven years old.